]]>With Big Brother watching, what could go wrong? Biometric surveillance is drawing attention — and trepidation — in the wake of the tragic terrorist attacks in Brussels. In this week’s Searchlight, analysts discuss the present and future use of biometrics technology in national security efforts and share their logistic and privacy concerns.

Building a customer base is a dilemma every fledgling platform company faces. In this article, read about the experiences of Thumbtack, an online marketplace for home and other professional services, and get best practices for attaining critical mass.

CISOs have the important job of discerning the right technology to use and laying down the right policy, so just what skillset is required for the job? In this article, Features Writer Jason Sparapani and senior IT executives explore the balance of technical skills and business polish that are necessary for the CISO role.

3D printing is making its way into the enterprise. What should CIOs know? In this Essential Guide, catch up on SearchCIO’s recent 3D technology coverage including expert advice and columns.

The Internet of Things seems to be making its way into nearly every industry. The food industry is no exception. In this blog post, Site Editor John Moore talks about food grown locally with assistance from IoT in the form of sensors and mobile applications. Also on the blogs, Sparapani discusses the importance of communication and cooperation among public and private sectors following an attack on the power grid.

On SearchCompliance…

This year marked a change in the way finance industry regulators regulate. In this feature, find out how the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority is moving away from checkbox-style regulations and focusing instead on companies’ compliance culture.

Security is no longer just an IT issue — it’s a boardroom issue. In this blog post, Site Editor Fran Sales highlights cybersecurity issues the board should focus on when scoping potential risks.

]]>http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/cio/assessing-biometric-surveillance-brussels-wake-data-lake-implementation-tips/feed/0Big data success needs a data-driven culture; renowned AI visionary dieshttp://searchcio.techtarget.com/blog/CIO-Symmetry/Big-data-success-needs-a-data-driven-culture-renowned-AI-visionary-dies
http://searchcio.techtarget.com/blog/CIO-Symmetry/Big-data-success-needs-a-data-driven-culture-renowned-AI-visionary-diesFri, 29 Jan 2016 22:00:44 +0000http://searchcio.techtarget.com/blog/CIO-Symmetry/Big-data-success-needs-a-data-driven-culture-renowned-AI-visionary-diesSuccessfully reaping the benefits of big data remains a huge challenge for many companies. Big data projects involve not just identifying the right data analyze, but also finding the right people to implement the right technology. But as big data experts and IT leaders tell Senior News Writer Nicole Laskowski, the biggest reason companies encounter...

]]>Successfully reaping the benefits of big data remains a huge challenge for many companies. Big data projects involve not just identifying the right data analyze, but also finding the right people to implement the right technology. But as big data experts and IT leaders tell Senior News Writer Nicole Laskowski, the biggest reason companies encounter big data problems is not the wrong technology or the quality of the data, but the wrong culture.

Marvin Minsky, renowned professor and early explorer of artificial intelligence, died of a cerebral hemorrhage this week at the age of 88. In this week’s Searchlight, features writer Jason Sparapani explores Minsky’s contributions to the AI field and what an AI future means for IT executives. Also: EMC claims Dell deal is on track despite jitters; top Twitter execs are leaving the company.

In an “innovate or die” business climate, business users having access to the power and flexibility of cloud computing is key to moving a company forward. But equally important is having security baked in a company’s operations, said Brian Lillie, CIO at data center space provider Equinix. Features Writer Jason Sparapani spoke with Lillie and other cloud experts to find out how to best foster a cloud security culture and why an organization needs a CISO.

Without clear communication with collaborators and flexible planning, big data projects can quickly go off the rails. Laskowski caught up with Gideon Mann, the head of data science at Bloomberg, to outline the six “gotchas” CIOs and data science teams should watch out for when embarking on a big data project.

Speaking of big data issues, CTO Niel Nickolaisen is no stranger to the costs of advanced analytics projects. In his column, find out how Nickolaisen revamped the admissions model and helped improve student retention rates at the university where he was CIO — with a “dirt cheap” analytics project.

A decade from now, thanks to innovations in fields like robotics, cryptocurrency and genomics, companies will experience huge changes to how they operate. Editorial Director Sue Troy sat down with Alec Ross, Hillary Clinton’s former innovation adviser, to delve into what these developments will mean for technology leaders. In part one of the Q&A, read about Ross’ predictions on blockchain technology and how this technology underlying Bitcoin will affect impact legal processes in the next five years. In part two of the interview, Ross talks about how cognitive robots will affect the labor market and how U.S. companies compete globally.

You might want to think twice before you talk to executive headhunter Shawn Banerji about “rock-star CIOs.” “The CIO job or equivalent is bigger than any one person,” Banerji, managing director of the technology officers practice at Russell Reynolds Associates, told Executive Editor Linda Tucci. Find out why Banerji believes great CIOs are those who know how to build a team and grap the corporate values of the companies they work for. Also on the TotalCIO blog, senior news writer Nicole Laskowski details the benefits of properly-managed innovation contests as a way to crowdsource ideas for new products or processes.

According to recent research by IDC, spending on public cloud is set to rapidly surpass overall IT spending in the next four years, growing from $70 billion to $141 billion by 2019 – and SMBs will be making up quite a huge chunk of that total spending: 40%. In a two-part blog post, IDC research director Christopher Chute delves into the drivers contributing to this growth, goes into detail about how the view of public cloud security is changing, and offers tips to SMBs who are tepid about diving into the cloud.

The January issue of our SearchCIO handbook is out! In this edition, columnist and CIO expert Harvey Koeppel offers a list of DR principles to help CIOs design and implement a DR/BC plan that can protect both business and personal data when the next disaster strikes. Also in this issue: Nickolaisen shares how to reap the most value out of DR testing, and writer Mary K. Pratt talks with experts on how to craft a DR/BC plan that can handle any type of disaster, including breaches.

As data threats continue to grow in number and complexity and to endanger business success, end-user security awareness has become vital to protecting corporate information. In this video from the recent ISSA International Conference, Senior Site Editor Ben Cole sat down with Marci McCarthy, CEO and president of Tech Exec Networks, who talks about why end-user security awareness should be in the front lines of organizations’ corporate data protection strategies.

]]>http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/cio/big-data-success-needs-data-driven-culture-renowned-ai-visionary-dies/feed/0Google unveils app streaming; business lessons from blackjackhttp://searchcio.techtarget.com/blog/CIO-Symmetry/Google-unveils-app-streaming-business-lessons-from-blackjack
http://searchcio.techtarget.com/blog/CIO-Symmetry/Google-unveils-app-streaming-business-lessons-from-blackjackFri, 20 Nov 2015 21:58:26 +0000http://searchcio.techtarget.com/blog/CIO-Symmetry/Google-unveils-app-streaming-business-lessons-from-blackjackGoogle’s new app-streaming feature is taking deep linking even further, seeking to improve the mobile experience of users reluctant to download apps. But what does it mean for developers? In this week’s Searchlight, Site Editor Fran Sales discusses Google’s deep-linking experiments and gets analysts’ takes on their enterprise impact. Also in Searchlight: The Paris attacks...

]]>Google’s new app-streaming feature is taking deep linking even further, seeking to improve the mobile experience of users reluctant to download apps. But what does it mean for developers? In this week’s Searchlight, Site Editor Fran Sales discusses Google’s deep-linking experiments and gets analysts’ takes on their enterprise impact. Also in Searchlight: The Paris attacks re-ignite device encryption debates, and Oxford Dictionaries named its Word of the Year — but it’s not a word.

Follow the data, says Jeff Ma, author and former member of the infamous MIT blackjack team that used math and card counting to win big. He used data-driven decisions to win in blackjack, but those data-driven decisions are also key to business success, according to Ma. Read about his experiences with data and get advice on how to use data to succeed in the most recent Data Mill column.

Over on the IT Compliance Advisor blog, Diane K. Carlisle — executive director of content at ARMA International — explains how new technology is driving digital information governance and runs down steps for planning an IoT initiative.

]]>http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/cio/google-unveils-app-streaming-business-lessons-from-blackjack/feed/0The Achilles heel of biometrics; IT outsourcing mistakes to avoidhttp://searchcio.techtarget.com/blog/CIO-Symmetry/The-Achilles-heel-of-biometrics-IT-outsourcing-mistakes-to-avoid
http://searchcio.techtarget.com/blog/CIO-Symmetry/The-Achilles-heel-of-biometrics-IT-outsourcing-mistakes-to-avoidFri, 02 Oct 2015 19:04:32 +0000http://searchcio.techtarget.com/blog/CIO-Symmetry/The-Achilles-heel-of-biometrics-IT-outsourcing-mistakes-to-avoidThe uniqueness of fingerprints, retinas and the other biological features that biometric authentication relies on is the security tool’s greatest asset. But in light of the theft of 5.6 million fingerprints in the recent Office of Personnel Management breach, this immutability is also the technology’s greatest challenge. In Searchlight, assistant editor Brian Holak gets security...

]]>The uniqueness of fingerprints, retinas and the other biological features that biometric authentication relies on is the security tool’s greatest asset. But in light of the theft of 5.6 million fingerprints in the recent Office of Personnel Management breach, this immutability is also the technology’s greatest challenge. In Searchlight, assistant editor Brian Holak gets security experts’ take on the future of biometric authentication, and their thoughts on what CIOs can learn from the hack.

Implementing a hybrid cloud architecture is rife with challenges. Not only does it involve integrating disparate systems and keeping them secure, but also requires alignment among multiple departments and a thorough understanding of the technology — or risk suffering the legal consequences. From Hybrid Cloud Summit, features writer Jason Sparapani details advice from cloud experts and practitioners on hybrid cloud mistakes to watch out for.

IT outsourcing deals are like snowflakes: No two are alike. But when they fail, the reason they do so is the result of an error in one of three areas: outsourcing strategy, contracts and post-deal governance. In a three-part tip, Andy Sealock, managing director at outsourcing advisory firm Pace Harmon, guides CIOs through those three failure points.

Looking to go down the road to starting a big data analytics platform? There’s no easy prescription for CIOs, according to experts at a panel discussion at the recent Big Data Innovation Summit in Boston. Senior news writer Nicole Laskowski lays out practical advice from experts about how to adapt IT to digital business.

Moving to the cloud promises many benefits, including lower hardware costs, improved application scalability and performance, and more. But planning for and executing a cloud migration is complex. In our latest Essential Guide, we explore these challenges and offer best practices to help CIOs make the leap.

CIOs well know that in order for their organization to succeed in today’s competitive landscape, they need a well-defined strategic IT plan. Crafting one isn’t simple, however — which is why we’ve created a CIO checklist to help you make sure your plan has what it needs for your company to succeed. Find out more and download the checklist here.

Over on Compliance…

Digital evidence, such as the evidence from Google’s computer systems that was allowed in a recent U.S. criminal case, is being increasingly used in court cases. In this Q&A, information governance expert Jeffrey Ritter lays out details of the aforementioned case and discusses the impact this trend could have on the future of corporate data governance.

The number of financial regulations companies must adhere to, both domestically and worldwide, have reached peak numbers — and it will only continue to increase. As a result, financial services firms and their compliance teams report experiencing “regulatory fatigue,” particularly from tracking and managing these rapidly escalating regulatory requirements, according to a survey of these firms by Thomson Reuters. Dig deeper into the findings in this feature.

On the blogs…

The work that goes into hybrid cloud is complicated enough without taking vendor hype into account. On the CIO Symmetry blog, find out why cloud experts advise organizations to stop trying to control vendor hype — and instead to manage it. Then, pin down what the term hybrid cloud really means from the many definitions floating around. Elsewhere in the blog, find out why SMBs’ IT spending on software and services, particularly around cloud, are forecasted to increase through 2019.

On the Total CIO blog, Laskowski describes the concept of “choice architecture” and gets tips from an expert on how IT leaders can become choice architects. Plus, Laskowski details the steps UPS took to transform from an analog to a digital business. Elsewhere on the blog, executive editor Linda Tucci investigates the gulf Gartner says is widening between digital business “front-runners” and those only in the digital planning phase. Plus, security experts share how companies should include data protection into their innovation lifecycle.

And on IT Compliance Advisor, we summarize the latest GRC news, including Fitbit’s announcement that its wearables are now HIPAA-compliant, CFOs’ belief that earnings misrepresentation is rampant in their industry, and more.

]]>http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/cio/the-achilles-heel-of-biometrics-it-outsourcing-mistakes-to-avoid/feed/0IoT initiatives 101; what HP’s job cuts mean for the enterprisehttp://searchcio.techtarget.com/blog/CIO-Symmetry/IoT-initiatives-101-what-HPs-job-cuts-mean-for-the-enterprise
http://searchcio.techtarget.com/blog/CIO-Symmetry/IoT-initiatives-101-what-HPs-job-cuts-mean-for-the-enterpriseFri, 18 Sep 2015 18:42:12 +0000http://searchcio.techtarget.com/blog/CIO-Symmetry/IoT-initiatives-101-what-HPs-job-cuts-mean-for-the-enterpriseThinking about starting an IoT initiative at your organization? Before you do, there are some things you should know. In this feature by senior news writer Nicole Laskowski, read up on IoT basics and get expert advice from CIOs on how to proceed with your IoT strategy. HP just cut 30,000 jobs in preparation for...

]]>Thinking about starting an IoT initiative at your organization? Before you do, there are some things you should know. In this feature by senior news writer Nicole Laskowski, read up on IoT basics and get expert advice from CIOs on how to proceed with your IoT strategy.

HP just cut 30,000 jobs in preparation for the upcoming launch of its newly separate enterprise services business. What do the cuts mean for the tech giant and can HP Enterprise meet the needs of CIOs? In this week’s Searchlight, site editor Fran Sales explores these questions and talks to expert CIOs to get their take. Also in Searchlight: Salesforce’s “Internet of Things Cloud” service and GE’s plan to aggregate its software, IT and industrial security capabilities into one digital unit.

Don’t fear cloud services management. In this two-part story, Gartner analyst Mindy Cancila breaks down do’s and don’ts when managing the cloud. In part one, she details the importance of monitoring the cost of cloud-based services in avoiding unnecessary surprises. In part two, she explores ways CIOs can evolve traditional management procedures to fit their cloud needs.

Business differentiation is more important to big data frameworks than you think. Laskowski explains why you should be focusing departmental efforts on what differentiates the business and rely on vendor partners to do the rest.

The age of traditional, all-knowing management approaches is coming to an end, according to SearchCIO expert Joseph Flahiff. Instead, managers’ new role involves “supportive leadership” to allow the whole team to flourish in today’s work environment.

Computers and devices are increasingly becoming key witnesses in court cases, which means information governance processes need to be kept in check to produce reliable digital evidence. SearchCompliance expert Jeffrey Ritter shares advice on how to ensure the computer is a dependable witness by developing a solid governance strategy.

On the TotalCIO blog, Laskowski runs through five steps to get your enterprise IoT initiative started. Plus, over on the IT Compliance Advisor blog, site editor Fran Sales runs down the latest GRC news, including the court ruling that Dodd-Frank protects internal whistleblowers and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s plan to control high-frequency trading risks.

]]>http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/cio/iot-initiatives-101-what-hps-job-cuts-mean-for-the-enterprise/feed/0The rise of Drones as a Service; the impact of big data on data integrationhttp://searchcio.techtarget.com/blog/CIO-Symmetry/The-rise-of-Drones-as-a-Service-the-impact-of-big-data-on-data-integration
http://searchcio.techtarget.com/blog/CIO-Symmetry/The-rise-of-Drones-as-a-Service-the-impact-of-big-data-on-data-integrationFri, 24 Jul 2015 18:34:55 +0000http://searchcio.techtarget.com/blog/CIO-Symmetry/The-rise-of-Drones-as-a-Service-the-impact-of-big-data-on-data-integrationIs Drones as a Service (DaaS) about to take off? Sony jumped on the drone bandwagon this week with its announcement of the launch of a joint drone business subsidiary. In this week’s Searchlight, site editor Fran Sales gets experts’ take on the rise of DaaS and how CIOs should prepare for the growing market....

]]>Is Drones as a Service (DaaS) about to take off? Sony jumped on the drone bandwagon this week with its announcement of the launch of a joint drone business subsidiary. In this week’s Searchlight, site editor Fran Sales gets experts’ take on the rise of DaaS and how CIOs should prepare for the growing market. Also in Searchlight: hackers disable a Jeep on the highway and an adultery site was hacked.

More data, more problems — that’s the essence of the data integration challenge, according to MIT researcher Michael Stonebraker. Senior news writer Nicole Laskowski caught up with Stonebraker at the recent MIT Chief Data Officer and Information Quality Symposium to talk about the evolution and challenges of data curation and how traditional ETL is broken.

The platform revolution is here, but moving to a platform business isn’t easy. Paul Daugherty, CTO at Accenture, listed five major challenges, or “platform dichotomies,” for IT professionals to consider before they make the leap.

The modern CIO wears a lot of hats. This Essential Guide explores the changing role of the CIO, the impact of digitalization and strategies to adapt to the digital marketplace.

Over on SearchCompliance, Bitcoin and other cipher block chaining technologies continue to be hyped as a new form of digital currency. How is cipher block chaining important to information governance? SearchCompliance expert Jeffrey Ritter answers this question and explores the impact and potential of this technology.

On the ITCompliance blog, Sales runs down the latest GRC news, including the creators’ reflection on the impact of the Dodd-Frank law on its fifth anniversary, the new FIFA corruption investigation led by the SEC and critics’ challenge of SEC’s in-house judicial process.

Finally, who are the winners and losers in digital disruption? Join SearchCIO’s #CIOChat Wednesday, July 29, at 3 p.m. EST, to discuss digital disruption in the enterprise and how to survive and thrive in the digital age. See you there!

]]>http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/cio/the-rise-of-drones-as-a-service-the-impact-of-big-data-on-data-integration/feed/0The rise of Apache Spark; signs your customer service strategy is brokenhttp://searchcio.techtarget.com/blog/CIO-Symmetry/The-rise-of-Apache-Spark-signs-your-customer-service-strategy-is-broken
http://searchcio.techtarget.com/blog/CIO-Symmetry/The-rise-of-Apache-Spark-signs-your-customer-service-strategy-is-brokenFri, 03 Apr 2015 17:58:56 +0000http://searchcio.techtarget.com/blog/CIO-Symmetry/The-rise-of-Apache-Spark-signs-your-customer-service-strategy-is-brokenBig data requires a big, effective data processing engine. According to Databricks, their new open source data processing engine, Apache Spark, is in a league of its own. In this week’s Data Mill, senior news writer Nicole Laskowski explores the technology and what separates it from MapReduce and other Hadoop offerings. Plus, Laskowski discusses whether...

Is your customer service strategy broken? In the age of the customer, being able to provide an outstanding customer experience is more important than ever, according to consultant Rick Davidson. In this Conference Notebook column, read through Davidson’s six signs of a broken customer service strategy and learn how to get your strategy back on track.

IBM announced this week that it’s investing $3 billion in an Internet of Things business unit, underscoring the need for CIOs to start figuring out the potential benefits of IoT for their businesses. In this week’s Searchlight, site editor Fran Sales highlights the impacts of IBM’s announcement and discusses how to tackle IoT in your business through strategic partnerships. Also in Searchlight, Silicon Valley execs take a stand against controversial anti-LGBT laws; GitHub faces an unprecedented amount of denial-of-service attacks.

It’s time to get your application consolidation education. Executive Editor Linda Tucci talks to two CIOs in the educational system for their take on app consolidation efforts. First up: Utah State University’s Eric Hawley discusses his team’s consolidation plans, which involve quick access to mobile data, CRM consolidation and the building of APIs. Then, Deepak Agarwal , CIO at the School District of Palm Beach County, shares his app consolidation success story and talks about the challenges and benefits of updating legacy apps.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently made a bold move on net neutrality. This week’s Searchlight explores the implications for CIOs. Plus: Anthem hacked, Google and Uber butt heads, and Target hires a new CIO from the UK.

New cyberthreats are everywhere — are your information security controls regimented? In this video interview, SearchCompliance editor Ben Cole talks with Christopher T. Pierson, executive vice president, general counsel and CSO at Viewpost, about the importance of continually monitoring and adapting security controls in the midst of increasingly sophisticated cyberthreats.

]]>http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/cio/distributed-storage-simplified-how-to-consolidate-your-apps/feed/0CIO talks data center consolidation; big data do’s and don’tshttp://searchcio.techtarget.com/blog/CIO-Symmetry/CIO-talks-data-center-consolidation-big-data-dos-and-donts
http://searchcio.techtarget.com/blog/CIO-Symmetry/CIO-talks-data-center-consolidation-big-data-dos-and-dontsFri, 23 Jan 2015 19:04:36 +0000http://searchcio.techtarget.com/blog/CIO-Symmetry/CIO-talks-data-center-consolidation-big-data-dos-and-dontsIs your company looking to consolidate data centers? AMD CIO Jake Dominguez knows a thing or two about that, having consolidated 18 data centers down to two. Read Dominguez’s story and get tips on the right way to proceed with your IT consolidation strategy. Success and failure of a big data strategy hinges on a...

]]>Is your company looking to consolidate data centers? AMD CIO Jake Dominguez knows a thing or two about that, having consolidated 18 data centers down to two. Read Dominguez’s story and get tips on the right way to proceed with your IT consolidation strategy.

Success and failure of a big data strategy hinges on a few key factors. Before you start you next big data project, read Senior News Writer Nicole Laskowski’s latest Data Mill to familiarize yourself with the do’s and don’ts of big data.

Will Microsoft’s Windows 10 usher in a new category of computing? At the recent Windows 10 announcement event, Microsoft unveiled a holographic headset, personal digital assistant Cortana and the Continuum interface, among other developments aimed at reeling back in consumers and enterprises. The latest Searchlight addresses the details and implications of the Windows 10 announcement.

As SearchCIO Columnist Brian Barringer writes, crowdfunding finance methods have been around since the 17th century, but the phenomenon that we’re familiar with – spurred by sites like Kickstarter and Indigogo — has only been around for a few years. Is this form of financing a good option for your small business? Barringer gives his take on crowdfunding for small businesses.

Refresh your knowledge of TechTarget’s 2014 Information Technology Salary and Careers Survey with the latest Essential Guide, and learn about IT executives’ compensation, salary trends across the IT landscape and 2015 project priorities.

Speaking of the 2014 salary survey, Mark Schlack, TechTarget’s Senior Vice President of Editorial, presents a 2015 information technology outlook based on the results of the survey, indicating higher budgets and more cloud services in the coming year.

It’s almost time for the next #CIOChat! Join SearchCIO editors and fellow tweeters Wednesday, Jan 28, at 3 p.m. EST to talk Internet of Things (IoT) security. We’ll be discussing whether the enterprise is prepared for the security implications of IoT and much more. See you there!

]]>http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/cio/cio-talks-data-center-consolidation-big-data-dos-and-donts/feed/0Profiting from big data; highlights from CES 2015http://searchcio.techtarget.com/blog/CIO-Symmetry/Profiting-from-big-data-highlights-from-CES-2015
http://searchcio.techtarget.com/blog/CIO-Symmetry/Profiting-from-big-data-highlights-from-CES-2015Fri, 09 Jan 2015 19:09:23 +0000http://searchcio.techtarget.com/blog/CIO-Symmetry/Profiting-from-big-data-highlights-from-CES-2015Everybody’s talking about big data, but is your company actually profiting from it? IT leaders at two retail companies share their big data money-making secrets with SearchCIO Senior News Writer Nicole Laskowski, stressing the importance of quality research and development and project management. If you’re following the newest, coolest technologies and gadgets to hit the...

More Searchlight: Everyone loves end-of-year (and start-of-year) lists! In the annual Searchlight List of Lists, Sales compiled some of the most notable IT lists from across the internet and highlighted the top technology predictions for 2015 as well as 2014 flops.

The repercussions of the Sony hack are still making waves. Now, more U.S. firms are considering turning to the hacking back approach to protect their data and ward off attackers. Also in cybersecurity news, North Korea slammed new U.S. sanctions in response to the Sony hack, and a new report says that last year’s JPMorgan Chase data breach was the result of a basic security flaw.